The Flagship of the X-Men line made its return this week, and effectively came out swinging. I've been eagerly anticipating this book, so I thought I would provide some thoughts on it.

Love him or hate him, Brian Michael Bendis can write some dialogue and excels at giving each member of the team their own personal moment to shine. Well, unless you're Emma, in which you just get to say very snarky things to Magneto, but to be fair she does that better than anyone else, so maybe that was supposed to be her moment. Either way, most of the team gets their 15 minutes.

The story is narrated by one person the entire time, and his/her take on past events is being relayed to Maria Hill. Much was publicized about a traitor on the team, and while I won't spoil that surprise, I will say its certainly intriguing going forward. The current team consists of Cyclops, Emma Frost, Magneto, Magik, and new recruits Tempus & the healer who hasn't quite decided on a name yet.

Cyclops and his team of outlaws are on a mission to rescue and recruit all of the new mutants popping up around the world. No X book would be complete without a secret base, so Scott and co. are training the new recruits underground in the old Weapon X facility (which Scott is referring to as the new Xavier School for Gifted Youngsters. I wonder if they offer financial aid). The main crux of the story centers around a mission to save/recruit a new mutant whose power unfortunately just turned on at the worst possible moment. Of course things don't go as planned, but that's when the fun starts.

I couldn't write any kind of review without mentioning the gorgeous artwork of Chris Bachalo. It fits the feel of this book so well, and while there are a few panels here and there where I had a hard time discerning what was going on, those were few and far between. There is energy in every panel, and always a sense of urgency, and a lot of that is due to Bachalo's art.

Here's the deal. This is truly Scott's book, and if you're not his biggest fan than this book might not be for you. As for me, I couldn't ask for more. I want to see one of my favorite characters get back on his feet, dust himself off, and get back to being one of the best tacticians on the planet, as well as one of the most respected mutants alive. Whether he will ultimately find redemption or not is still up in the air, but the journey looks to be a fun one, and I'm jumping on the train.

Matthew Mueller — Writer // Co-Host of Gaming Disassembled // Happily married lover of X-Men, JRPG'S, Frasier, Captain America, and Mass Effect. Also have a part-time position as defender of OA, but hoping they bring me on full-time soon. @KnightofOA // matthewmueller@geektyrant.com